Sudan, Rebels Sign Landmark Peace Deals

NAIVASHA, Kenya - Sudanese government and rebel officials signed a permanent cease-fire deal Friday and endorsed details on how to implement their peace plan to end a 21-year civil war in southern Sudan, a conflict blamed for 2 million deaths


In Khartoum, thousands of southern Sudanese took to the streets, singing through loudspeakers and waving the rebels' green, black, red, white and blue flag with a golden star, which appeared for the first time on the streets of Sudan's tightly controlled capital.


"The peace deal is the beginning of real independence from Sudan," said Qamar Hasan al-Taher, a member of the main southern rebel group Sudan People's Liberation Movement.


The permanent truce in Africa's longest running conflict will come into force some 72 hours after the cease-fire deal was signed in Kenya's lakeside town of Naivasha, said Sayed El-Khatib, spokesman for the government delegation at the peace talks

Wow, I hope the agreement lasts. What a great New Years Present.

Edit: Oops forgot link
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20041231/ap_on_re_mi_ea/sudan_southern_peace_talks